Few people understand the financial hardships members of the military community better than those who have navigated the challenges themselves. In an effort to equip them with the tools necessary to help others overcome these common obstacles, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation recently awarded 50 spouses with fellowships to become accredited financial counselors, Military Times reported.
The initiative, known as the Military Spouse Fellowship program, has awarded fellowships to more than 1,250 people around the world in its seven years. Through the classes, program participants can go on to work at family readiness and support centers, credit counseling and tax centers and financial aid offices.
"We already have a number of spouses from previous classes doing this work,"George Smaragdis, a spokesman for the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, told the news source.
In addition to helping military families with issues such as financial planning and other hardships, the program also is vital because it can assist military spouses as they try to find jobs, something which can be very difficult for someone who has to move fairly regularly. According to a recent study from Blue Star Families, unemployment among military spouses is between three and four times higher than the civilian population.